1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric connection device intended to be placed in the wall of a metallurgical container and put in contact, by one of its ends, with a mass of molten metal contained in the container, the other end, cooled by a fluid, extending out of the wall of the container and being connected to a terminal of an electric supply.
2. Description of the Related Art
A device of this type, disclosed in the document FR-A-2,566,984, comprises a sleeve composed of a material which is a good heat conductor, such as copper, mounted around the projecting and cooled end in contact with a circulating fluid. The cooling means for the sleeve disclosed in this document are preferably constituted by at least one groove provided in the outer lateral surface of the sleeve, in which the cooling fluid circulates, and a jacket closing said groove and disposed around the sleeve, said jacket being provided with fluid inlet and outlet means which are connected to the ends of the groove and are also connected to a cooling fluid supply.
As an alternative, the grooves may be replaced by channels provided inside the sleeve, but this solution has the drawback of requiring a delicate machining of the sleeve. The previously-described solution consequently remains the preferred one according to the cited document.
Another solution disclosed in the document FR-A-2,621,994, comprises providing the groove or grooves, not in the sleeve but in the inner lateral surface of the jacket. The cost of the sleeve which no longer has to be machined may in this way be reduced without correspondingly reducing the effectiveness of the cooling means. The machining of the groove therefore has only to be carried out once in a part which does not undergo wear, which distinctly reduces the cost of the use of the electrode.
An object of the invention is to propose a manner of cooling the sleeve which simplifies the overall construction of the electrode compared with the arrangements just described.